Package



PACKAGE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 14, 1956 INVENTOR.

Nov. 8, 1960 Filed Nov. 14, 1956 G. E. THURSTON PACKAGE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

WI, 5mm

MAM WM Nov. 8, 1960 G. E. THIUIIRSTON PACKAGE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed NOV. 14, 1956 R Cv m W /wm ,u 3

n :1 w u 6 u F Q M/ z PACKAGE Gerald E. Thurston, 440 Lincoln Ave. E., Cranford, NJ.

Filed Nov. 14, 1956, Ser. No. 622,046

2 Claims. (Cl. 229-27) The present invention relates to packages.

Certain types of packages are designed to carry a plurality of articles therein, and when some of the articles are removed from the package, the remaining articles therein simply lie loosely in the package so that these remaining articles can fall within the package and be damaged. For example, in the case of cigarette packages after some of the cigarettes are removed the remaining cigarettes in the package can simply fall to an inclined position one way or the other'in the package. Moreover, the space which is occupied by the package never changes even though the interior of the package is fairly empty after the removal of some of the articles therefrom. Also, certain types of packages are relatively thick and cannot be conveniently carried on the person. Furthermore, the last articles to be removed are not as fresh as the articles which are removed first.

One of the objects of the present invention is to overcome the above drawbacks by providing a package which has a pair of independent container sections which may be separated from each other in order to provide from the pair of container sections a pair of independent packages each of which may be used separately. The separation of the container sections may be made either while both are filled with articles so that in this case a section of the complete package may be used separately to form a thinner package which may be carried about at any given time, or after the articles are removed from one of the container sections, this empty container section may be detached from the other container section so as to leave only the remaining container section.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a package of the above type which is formed in its entirety from a single piece of sheet material.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a package of the above type which can be very conveniently slipped into or out of a pocket, for example, without any sharp corners which can catch on clothing or the like.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a package of the above type with container sections which may conveniently be held together by a strip of sheet material in the form of a government stamp, for example.

With the above objects in view the present invention mainly consists of a package in the form of a container composed of a pair of substantially identical container sections each of which has its own four side walls and its own bottom wall and top fiap, a pair of the walls of the container sections being detachably connected to each other and the entire container being formed from a single piece of sheet material.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description atent ice of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates the shape of one possible blank which may be used for making a package according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 1s a top view of a completed package according to the present invention, the sections of the sheet material whose edges are visible in Fig. 2 being shown slightly spaced from each other to clearly indicate the manner in which the blank of Fig. 1 is formed into the final package;

Fig. 3 is a front perspective view of a package formed from the blank of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 illustrates the shape of another embodiment of a blank which may be used to form a package according to the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a package formed from the blank of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the package of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 illustrates another embodiment of a blank which may be used to form a package according to the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a front perspective view of a package formed from the blank of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a bottom plan view of the package of Fig. 8.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a blank 10 made of a single piece of a sheet material such as a relatively light cardboard or relatively heavy paper, or of a suitable plastic material having the properties of paper or cardboard. Also, cardboard covered with foil could be used, or a suitable foil may be used by itself, such as a suitable aluminum foil. The blank 10 is composed in the embodiment of Fig. 1 of an elongated strip of sheet material having a pair of intermediate front wall forming portions 11 which are connected detachably to each other by a line of perforations 12 which extends across the elongated blank 10 at the center thereof. The blank 10 also has a pair of rear wall forming portions 13 respectively extending from the front wall forming portions 11 and respectively located adjacent the ends of the blank, as is evident from Fig. 1. Between each front wall forming portion 11 and rear wall forming portion 13 the blank 10 has a portion 14 which is adapted to be curved into a channel of substantially semicircular cross section when the blank is formed into the final package. The separations between the portions 11, 14, and 13 are indicated by the dot-dash lines 15. At the leftmost line 14 of Fig. 1 the blank is provided with an extension 16 which is also to be curved into a channel of semi-circular cross section and which is adapted to form the end wall of one of the container sections, and a similar portion 16 is located at the right end of the blank of Fig. l.

The rear wall forming portions 13 each have opposed edges 17 which are respectively adapted to form the upper and lower edges of the rear wall of each of the container sections of the final package, and from one of these edges 17 of each rear wall portion 13 a top flap forming portion 18 extends, while a bottom wall flap forming portion 19 extends from the other of the edges 17 of each of the rear wall forming portions 13. The top flap forming portions 18 are each provided with a fold line 20 which forms the front upper edge of the top flap of the finished package, While the bottom wall flap forming portions 19 are also provided with fold lines 21 which determine the width of the bottom walls of the container sections, respectively. Slits 18' facilitate opening and closing of the top flaps in the finished container.

The face of the blank 10 which is visible in Fig. 1 forms the inner face of the completed package, and the outer faces of the portions 16 of the blank 10, these outer faces not being visible in Fig. 1, are covered with a layer of a suitable glue or the like so that this layer may be used to fasten the container into itsrfinal con figuration. Layers of glue or the like 22 may also be located on the inner face of'the blank 10, as shown by the shaded areas in Fig. 1, at theportions 'of the blank which extend inopposite directions frorn sthe'line of perforations 12 .up to the lines- .adjacentithereto. ,The portions of the blank 10 which are;provided .with the layers of glue 22 are adapted to engageptheouterzfaces of the portions 16. The left edge of'the-blank 1 .0 of Fig. 1 is adapted to be located in thefinishedzpackage along the left line 15 which is located just to the left of the line of perforations 12,.while the right edge ofthe blank 10 of Fig. lis adapted to be located in'the finishedipackage along the line 15 which is located just to the ight of the line ofperforationszll2.

In forming a package accordingtothe present invention from the blank shownin Fig. 1, the rear wall forming portions 13 are moved toward each: other ina direction from the plane of Fig. 1 towardthe observer, and then when the rear .wallsections 213- 211? respectively located opposite the front wall forming portions 11, with each of the portions 14 in the shape of a channel ofsubstantially semi-circular configuration, the portions 16 of the blank are respectivelyjoined to those portions of the blank which are provided with the layers of glue 22, and these portions 16 will also form channels of substantially semi-circular configuration.

Afterthe blank of Fig. 1 is formed .so that the rear wall forming portions 13 are in side-by-side relation and are respectively located opposite the front wall forming portions 11, the blank is again curved at the portion thereof adjacent to the line of perforations 12 so as to move the rear wall forming portions 13 toward each other and so as to finally locate them in back-to-back relation, and after the flaps 18 and 19 are moved to their closed positions, the container illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 results. It will be noted from Fig. 1 that the portion of each flap 18 which is located between lines17 and 20 terminates in a pair of semi-circular ends, and the same is true of the portion of each flap 19 between the lines 17 and 21. These semi-circular ends serve to neatly close the ends of the channels of semi-circular configuration which form the narrow opposite side walls of each of the container sections.

As is apparent from Figs. 1-3, a package is formed from the single piece of sheet material 10 which has its own pair of independent container sections, and each of these sections has its own four side walls, its own bottom, and its own top flap 18. The two container sections shown in Figs. 2 and 3 may beseparated from each other at any time along the line of perforations 12, and it will be noted that when this is done each of the cont-ainer sections is capable of functioning as an independent container. The two sections'may be held closely adjacent to each other with their rear walls 13 engaging each other by a strip of sheet material 23 which extends partly about the container sections and engages the outer faces thereof adjacent their right edges, as is apparent from Fig. 3. Where the package of Figs. 2 and 3 is used to contain cigarettes, the strip 23 maybe formed by the government stamp which must be mutilated when separating the two container sections from each other. When this package arrangement is used for cigarettes, ten cigarettes may be located in each of the container sections, and thus when ten of the cigarettes in one of the sections are consumed, this section may be removed so that only the remaining section with the ten cigarettes therein need be carried about. Of course, if desired, while the package is full, its independent container sections may be separated from each other so that one need carry about only one of the container sections at any given time, if so desired.

It will be noted that the curve of the portions 14 and 16 provide each of the container-sections with rounded 4 corners at the junctions between its four side walls, and as a result the package of the invention is very easy to slip into and out of a pocket or a ladys handbag.

Furthermore, as is shown by the dot-dash line 24 in Figs. 1 and 3, one or both of the front wall forming portions 11 may be formed with a Window which enables the user to see how many articles are left in the container section. When the package is used for cigarettes any suitable covering such as transparent cellophane or the like may be used for the window and/or for the articles within the package, if desired. The top edges of the front wall forming portions 11 of the blank 10 are formed with notches25 so as to facilitate the movement of the top flaps 18 between their open and closed positions.

Fig. 4 of the drawings illustrates an embodiment of the invention where the blank need not have the elongated configuration shown in Fig. 1. According to the embodiment of the invention which is shown in Fig. 4 a blank 26 composed ofa single, piece of sheet material has a substantially square configuration. This blank 26 includes a pair of front wall formingportions 27 and a pair of rear wall formingsportions 28. The front wall forming portions 27 are detachably connected to each other by a line of,perforations 29 which extend along a line located between those edges of the front wall forming portions 27 which form the bottom edges thereof in the finished package. These bottom edges of the front wall forming portions 27 are indicated in Fig. 4 by the lines 30, and the blank is provided with a pair of bottom wall forming portions 31 extending from these edges 30 and connected to each other by the line of perforations 29.

The rear wall forming portions 28 have along the lines 32 which form the bottom edges of the rear walls of the finished container sections a pair of extensions 33, respectively, which also are bottom wall forming portions and which respectively cooperate with the bottom wall forrning portions 31 in a manner described below. Each of the pairs of front and rear wall forming portions 27 and 28 are separated from each other by a portion 34 located between the dot-dash lines 35 and 36, :and this portion 34 is in the form of a channel of substantially semi-circular configuration in the finished package. The side walls of the container sections of the embodiment of Fig. 4 which become located in the finalpackage opposite the side wall portions 34 are formed by the portions 37 which extend beyond the line 38 forming one side edge of each front wall portion 27 and the portions 39 of the blank which respectively extend beyond the lines 40 which form the side edgesof the rear wall portions 28. It is to be noted that the bottom Wall portions 33 have free edges which adjoin each other but which are completely separate'from each other, these free edges adjoining each other only when the blank 26 is located in a plane as indicated in Fig. 4.

Each of the rear wall forming portions 28 has an upper edge located along the dot-dash line 41, and from this line 41 extends a flap 42 having a fold line 43 which forms the front edge of the top of the flap in the final package. It will also be noted that the portion of each flap 42 located between the lines 41 and 43 terminates in semi-circular ends in order to close the ends of the channels formed by the portion 34 of the blank 26 on the one hand and the portions 37 and 39 thereof on the other hand.

Also, in order to facilitate the opening and closing of the flaps 42, the blank may be provided with slits 44 enabling the upper portion of the rear wall 28 of each container section to fold back along the line 45, and thus the flap 42 may be very easily moved between its open and closed positions.

The face of the blank 26 which forms the inner surface of the container sections is visible in Fig. 4, and at this inner face are located layers of glue or the like 46 in order to join the portions 39 of the blank to the portions 37, respectively,and also layers ofglue or the like 47 are located on the bottom wall forming portions 31 in order to join theseb-ottorn wall forming portions respectively to the faces of the bottom wall forming portions 33 which are not visible in Fig. 4. p

In order to form from the blank of Fig. 4 the package which is shown in Fig. 5, each of the rear wall forming portions 28 is folded over toward the right, as viewed in Fig. 4, in a manner which forms from each of the sections 34 an elongated channel of substantially semi-circular cross section, and then the outer faces of the portions 39 are joined to the inner faces of the portions 37, respectively, by the layers of glue or the like 46, these portions 37 and 39 forming a pair of additional channels of semicircular cross section substantially identical with the channels 34.

When this step is completed, the bottom wall forming portions 33 are bent downwardly along the lines32 and then the front and rear wall forming portions 27 and 28 of the blank at each side of the line of perforations 29 are moved upwardly toward each other, away from the plane of Fig. 4 toward the observer, so as to locate the outer faces of the bottom wall forming portions 33 against the inner faces of the bottom wall forming portion 31 which are of the same size and configuration as the bottom wall forming portions 33, and the layers of glue or the like 47 serve to join the bottom wall forming portions 31 respectively to the bottom wall forming portions 33.

When this step is completed, it is only necessary to close the flaps 42 and the package is complete. Of course, articles may be located in the package of Fig. 5 or in that of Fig. 3 at any time during the forming of the package.

As is indicated in Fig. 5, the package formed from the blank of Fig. 4 may have the container sections thereof interconnected by a strip of sheet material 48 which may be in the form of a government stamp when the package is used for cigarettes. It will be noted that the strip 48 is placed insuch a way that it must be mutilated in order to give access to the interior of the package.

As is apparent from Fig. 6, the two container sections are joined together along the line of perforations 29, so that these container sections may be separated very conveniently from each other along this line of perforations in order to enable each of the container sections to serve as an independent container.

As is apparent from Fig. 4, those edges of the front wall forming portions 27 which form the upper edges 49 of the container sections are cut away in order to leave a free space which gives access to the flaps 42 in order to facilitate the opening and closing thereof.

While the curved corners of the junctions between the side walls of each of the container sections of both of the embodiments of the invention described above are preferred because of the convenience which such curved corners provide in slipping the package into or out of a pocket, as well as because of the fact that such curved corners conserve space and prevent scratching or otherwise injuring the user of the package, it is nevertheless possible to make a package in accordance with the present invention which has sharp corners, and a blank for making such a package is shown in Fig. 7, while the completed package is shown in Fig. 8, and the manner in which the package appears from the underside is shown in Fig. 9. All of the parts of the structure shown in Figs. 7-9 which correspond to the parts shown in Figs. 46 are indicated with the same reference characters primed, and it will be noted that the portions of the flaps 42 located between the lines 41' and 43' do not have semi-circular end portions, because such portions are unnecessary where sharp corners are provided, as indicated in Fig. 8. Otherwise the structure of Figs. 7-9 is identical with that of Figs. 4-6. Of course, the articles in the packages of Figs. 5 and 8 may be covered with a suitable transparent material such as cellophane or the like, or articles therein more, the front walls of the container sections of Figs. 5 and 8 may be formed with windows, if desired, and the windows can be covered with cellophane or the like.

Although cigarettes have been mentioned above, it is apparent that the package of the invention may be used for other articles such as foods, for example. In the case of cheese respectively located in the two container sections which form the package of the invention only the cheese in one container section is removed while the other container section is kept closed to preserve the freshness of the cheese therein.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of packages dilfering from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in packages composed of a pair of independent container sections, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A package consisting of a pair of substantially identical containers which are completely independent of each other, each of said container sections having a front wall, a rear wall, side walls connecting the front and rear walls with one of said side walls being integral with both of the front and rear Walls, said side walls having semi-circular configurations in lateral cross-section, a bottom wall extending from the lower edge of at least one of said rear and front Walls, said bottom wall having ends of semicircular configuration projecting beyond the side edges of the front and rear walls and cooperating with the lower ends of said side walls, a top wall extending from the upper edge of the rear wall, said top wall having ends of semi-circular configuration projecting beyond the side edges of the front and rear walls and cooperating with the upper ends of the side walls another of said side walls being integral with a side edge of the wall from which said top wall extends and the upper and lower edges of the side walls being in alignment with the upper and lower edges of the walls from which the top and bottom walls extend, a flap extending from the outer lateral edge of the top wall, and a connecting wall integral with one of a corresponding pair of side edges of the front walls and the corresponding pair of lower edges of the front walls and at least partially adhered to a pair of said side Walls and bottom walls, said connecting wall having a perforate line extending centrally and longitudinally therealong, whereby one of said containers can be detached from the other when the contents therein are consumed, by tearing the connecting wall along the perforate line with each portion of said connecting wall remaining adhered to a pair of said side and bottom walls to provide separate, complete containers.

2. A package consisting of two containers which are completely independent of each other, each of said containers having a front wall, a rear wall, lateral side walls connecting said front and rear walls with one of said side walls being integral with the front and rear wall and the other of said side walls being of two overlapping portions adhered to each other, each portion being integral with side edges of the front and rear walls, said side walls having semi-circular configurations in lateral cross-section, a bottom wall extending from the lower edge may be located in any suitable lining material. Furtherof one of said front and rear walls, said bottom wall having ends of semi-circular shape which extend beyond the side edges of the wall to which it is connected, a bottom connecting wallextending from both of the lower-edges of the other of said rear and front walls, said connecting wall having a perforate line extending longitudinally and symmetrically with respect thereto, each of the ends of said connecting wall being of symmetrical semi-circular configuration on each side of said perforate line and extending beyond the side edges of the'wallsto which they are attached, said connecting wall being Shapedsimilar to the two bottom walls and said bottom walls being at least partially adheredto said connecting wall,,,a top wall extending from the upper edge of each of therear walls and havingserni-circularends extending beyondythe side edges of the rear walls, the ends of said bottom walls and connecting wall cooperating with the lower ends of the side walls, and the ends of the top wall cooperating with therupper ends of the side walltoaid in maintaining the semi-circular shape of said side walls, and a flap extending from the outer edgerof each of the top walls.

References Cited in the fileof thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 226,872 Muson Apr. 27, 1880 276,171 Fraser Apr. 24, 1883 437,042 Beck Sept. 23, 1890 1,016,148 Heinic ke .Jan. 30, 1912 1,278,691 Leiman Sept. 10, 1918 1,906,742 Eoulapides May,-2, 1933 2,158,971 Stratton May 16, 1939 2,357,339 Mathieu Sept. 5, 1944 QFOREIGN PATENTS 822,225 fGermany, ..,Nov.i,22, 1 951 

